Protester carried away

Press, 22 February 1977, Page 9

Protester carried away

NZPA-Reuter London Mrs Regina Fischer, j mother of the former world chess champion. Bobby ; Fischer, has been arrested and carried off on a bed, for staging a hunger strike out- ’ side the Home Office. The 63-year-old Mrs Fischer. who began the hunger i strike on Friday to protest 1 against deportation orders against two Americans, was 1 charged with obstruction when she refused police 1 orders to move away from ' the building. She lav wrapped in blan- I kets on a bed outside the _ building, and when the police ■ told her to move, she re-1 1 fused and was carried off. still on the bed. Mrs Fischer, an American; citizen who has lived ini Britain since 1961. began the' fast to protest against the deportation orders against a former United States Central! Intelligence Agency agent,; Mr Philip Agee, and a United:’ States-born journalist. Mr J Mark Hosenball. who the; Government alleges have i threatened Britain’s national i, security. She was taken to the Can- , ion Row police station,;’ where the police said she I, would appear before the; Bow Street Magistrate’s I, Court. Mrs Fischer had planned!, to fast outside the Home! Office for II days to draw;; attention to the cases of Mr I; Agee and Mr Hosenball. ; Last week, the Home Sec- i retary (Mr Merlyn Rees) ordered both men to be deported from Britain by February 28 on the ground that they threatened national security. No charges against them have been made public. Three other persons pro- j testing against the deporta-i tion orders have been! charged under the Official I Secrets Act.

They will appear in court todav.

Two journalists, Duncan 'Campbell, aged 24. and Crispin Aubrey, aged 31, are ; charged with receiving secret information; and a lorry driver. John Berry, aged 30, is charged with communicating secret information. Mr Berry served several years in the British Army. The three Britons, active members of the committee defending the writers, were 'arrested on Friday night and i were refused access to lawyers for nearly two days. Bail has been refused.

! The arrests provoked a renewed outcry’ from Leftwing Parliamentarians and civil-rights groups who last week condemned the decision of Mr Rees to deport |the two.